Fracture
by Loftwing1022
Summary: When memories become nightmares and turn into fears of some where you have have never been. A past he doesn't remember comes back to haunt Hiccup and secret about his family is revealed. T for blood.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Are sure this is a good idea?"

"Positive," Astrid replied.

"Not _chicken_, are you?" Snotlout snickered.

"I just wanted to know whether or not this is something that really concerns us-"

"Bock, bock bock bock!"

"Fine. Let's just get this over with." Hiccup sighed. "Toothless! Where did he go now? Toothless!"

A large black creature dropped from the sky, landing gracefully. Hiccup hopped on his back and slid his false leg into the harness.

"Apparently we have to go _investigate_ the weird tunnel out by Mildew's house. Why now? I have no idea."

"You know very well why!" Astrid frowned.

The tunnel had always existed on Berk as long as Hiccup could remember. The dark hole in the earth did not strike him as odd or unusual. It never even crossed his mind what might have created them. At least until a little while ago.

At first it was just a reoccurring dream that arose once a year or so, but it started to come around every week. Now each night it was the same dream, no nightmare.

It was just a pit, a huge gap in the ground. Deep, dark and probably very cold, roots sticking out of the sides and loose dirt shifted every once in a while. Nothing scary about it at all.

It was the feeling it gave Hiccup, a sense of dread and danger. As if a terrifying beast, more horrifying than a dragon ever could be, was about to appear at the bottom.

Hiccup had never been scared of the hole, but what lurked in it, watching and waiting for its next victim.

Hiccup hadn't slept much that week because of the dream. Even when he wasn't asleep, he could still see it.

"We have to figure out what this is about or your never be able to sleep," Astrid continued. "So we're going to the tunnel."

"Can we go now?" Snotlout whined.

Hiccup sighed and shook his head as Toothless shot up in the sky.

Stromfly and Hookfang soon followed after the Night Fury.

Mildew's hut was far beyond the village, so the tunnel had not been explored at all. The hole was located in the forest between several large trees. Their roots decorated the inside of the tunnel.

Toothless landed and Hiccup stepped off the dragon's back. His feet hit the ground and he stumbled, being caught by Toothless before falling face first into the dirt.

"Heh, nice save bud," Hiccup said quietly. "That would have been bad."

Astrid and Snotlout joined him on the ground shortly after.

Grateful that Snotlout had not seen him almost fall on his face, Hiccup moved to the edge of the pit. No light reached the bottom, so he couldn't tell how far down it went.

Just standing at the edge made him feel uneasy. It was just like in the dream, but now it felt like... He had been here before.

A sudden sharp pain just above his eye, sent his head spinning. His vision blurred and Hiccup became dizzyingly sick to his stomach, then his knees buckled.

When he opened his eyes again he was sitting up against Toothless. Moisture trickled down his face and neck, his stomach still churning.

"Ugh..." Hiccup groaned.

"That was unexpected,"

Snotlout was propped up against a tree not to far away.

"Hiccup! Are you all right?" Astrid ignored Snotlout's disconcert for others.

"Y-yeah, I don't know w-what came over me," He tried to sound better than he looked. But if he looked anywhere near how he felt...

"I-I'm okay now, r-really," Hiccup forced a small smile.

"Are you sure? You look really pale," Astrid put a hand to his forehead. "You feel warm, too. I think you have a fever."

"Astrid," He said firmly. "I'm fine, see?"

He pushed himself to his feet and stood before her, trying not to fall again.

"All right, you win," Astrid sighed. "But we should go home soon, it's going to be dark soon."

"Supper time!" Snotlout cheered.

_Oh, what? How long was I out?_ Hiccup thought.

Hiccup hopped up onto Toothless, but Astrid stopped him.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," She frowned. "What if you pass out again?"

"There's nothing I can do to convince you, is there?"

She shook her head.

Hiccup sighed and slid off his dragon's back. Stormfly didn't look very happy to have extra passengers.

"Just this once girl," Astrid stroked her scales. Stormfly snorted and took off at a running start.

They were halfway home when a wave of dizziness swept over Hiccup. He clung to Astrid, eyes shut tight and head pressed against her shoulder blades. She suppressed a smile as Hiccup let out a small shudder.

"You okay?" Astrid asked.

"Yep, just great," Hiccup replied.

They reached the gathering hall just in time for dinner. Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat at one of the far tables, bickering about which of the Zipleback's heads were better. Fishlegs was at the far end of the table, absorbed in yet another book. He looked up only when Hiccup and Astrid sat down across from him.

"Hello Fishlegs, what are you reading?" Astrid wondered.

"The History of Berk, a novel," He started in. "It is actually very interesting."

"Nerd," Snotlout sat between Hiccup and Astrid.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Roughnut turned her attention to Hiccup.

"I may or may not have just developed a fear of falling off dragons."

They couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I'm not joking, I think I might throw up," Hiccup rested his head on his hands.

"I can't believe your afraid of holes," Snotlout snickered.

"Arrrgh!" Hiccup brought his forehead down onto the table with a _thud_.

Astrid punched Snotlout in the shoulder for his ignorance.

"This is ridiculous! I don't understand any of this!" Hiccup exclaimed. "What is with me and holes!?"

"Holes?"

They all turned to see Gobber enter the hall. Outside it had started to rain, lightning flashed in the clouds.

"Afraid of holes, you say? Well, I'll not surprised... considering," Gobber said to the table, but more specifically, Hiccup.

"Considering what?" Hiccup turned around in his seat.

"If you mean the hole up north, then you should be scared!" Gobber said quickly. "There are monsters who eat children that get to close to their tunnels."

"Really?" Snotlout smiled smugly.

"There once was a girl who lived in this village. She loved the play near the hole by her house. One day she heard a sound from within the tunnels, but when she was about to look into the hole her parents called her in for dinner."

"What kind of sound?" Hiccup asked quietly.

"Of course, being a child, she was very curious," Gobber continued, paying no attention to Hiccup. "So that night, as her parents slept, the little girl snuck out of the house. She walked over to the hole and when she did, she heard the sound again."

"She leaned in closer to see if she could hear it better. Leaning in closer and closer, then suddenly a huge tentacle came out from the hole and grabbed her by the ankles. She screamed as the monster dragged her into the pit. She was never seen again."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat listening intently, but Fishlegs looked terrified.

"I-i-is that t-true?" He shivered.

"O-of course not," Snotlout's voice shook, trying to be brave. It sounded as though he was trying convince himself more than Fishlegs.

"Oh it is very real," Gobber smiled wickedly. "They even say that some nights you can still hear the faint scream of the little girl."

"Oh..." Snotlout said softly.

"Quit with the ghost stories, Gobber," Hiccup sighed. "We know it's not real."

"Oh?" Gobber tilted his head to one side. "Don't you remember? Your si-"

"Gobber!" The chief snapped. He gave him a look and Gobber dropped the subject.

"You kids best get home now," Gobber said quietly. "Before it starts raining a whole lot more."

Grumbling under their breath, they walked through the huge, wooden doors out into the rain.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The road home was muddy and stuck to Hiccup's boots as he walked alone. Not even Toothless was around to keep him company. Where could he be wandering off to? He was not this wanderous. That's not a word is it?

The next thing Hiccup knew, he was face down in the mud. He stumbled to his feet, grumbling and trying to get the mud off himself before it hardened. But of course it wouldn't, it was raining far too profusely for anything to dry.

The crack of lightning made Hiccup jump. He had not been a big fan of lightning since the time he was struck by it. Storms made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

At last Hiccup was home, and he could still see the remaining rays of the setting sun.

Hiccup pushed open the heavy door and was met with a warm fireplace. Clambering up the stairs and discarding his now very muddy coat, Hiccup sat down on his bed.

Not a minute later, Toothless climbed through the large, open window in the roof. The dragon plopped down on his slab of rock, pretending not to notice Hiccup.

"Hey bud, what've you been up to?" He addressed the dragon with a smile.

Toothless snorted and shifted a bit.

"Not talking to me? Fine, then I wouldn't talk to you either," Hiccup crossed his arms in fake anger.

Toothless turned his head in Hiccup's direction and let out an aggressive snarl. Was it something he did? Hiccup sighed, giving up on the dragon.

What sort of sound could be so interesting that a little girl would seek out of her home to hear it again? A growl or snarl? Of a dragon or something worse?

A human.

A shiver shot down his back at that thought. What in the world would give him that idea?

Hiccup pushed the thought out of his, deciding to try his luck at sleeping.

The hole.

That was what he dreamed about. Not that it was a surprise.

The dream proceeded as usual, the hole deep and dark. He could not look around, the dream would not allow it. The longer Hiccup stared into it, the more unnerved he became. The dread was overwhelming, but he could not explain why.

Then something different happened.

A small noise, from the bottom of the pit. Confused, Hiccup concentrated harder so maybe he could identify it.

Two green, glowing eyes appeared in the dark, staring unblinkingly back at him.

Suddenly a large black... tentacle burst from the darkness and locked itself around Hiccup's waist. It soundlessly drug him in to its hole.

He woke with a start, sitting straight up in his bed. Sweat dripped down his face and he shook all over. Hiccup's face burned, but the rest of him was freezing. Coughing and sputtering he glanced around the room. Toothless slept soundly against the wall as thunder rumbled outside.

Hiccup jumped out of bed and threw on his coat. He gently nudged Toothless awake.

"Sorry Toothless, I know it's late," He whispered. "This is very important, meet me outside."

The dragon snorted in annoyance, but did as he was asked. Hiccup went down the stairs as quietly as he could. He opened the front door and walked out in to rain once again.

That sound... he had heard in his dream... it was a scream...

Hiccup stopped and vomited. His stomach churned even though he had ate nothing that day.

Toothless trotted around the corner of the house to see Hiccup vomit again. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and climbed up on to the Night Fury's back.

As they took off into the storm, Astrid watched from her porch. She had come out a moment ago due to the fact she couldn't sleep with the rain rapping on the roof.

"Toothless?"

She squinted at the black creature flying farther and farther north. Toothless could fly that far, not without...

"Hiccup," She breathed, running to find her dragon.

Stormfly followed Hiccup closely, just out of his line of vision. Where was he going?

Toothless dropped down amongst the trees of the northern forest.

Oh no.

The rain was still pouring from the heavens, soaking the earth. Astrid rushed toward the tunnel.

Hiccup stood at the end, leaning in. He looked like he was trying to hear something.

"Hiccup!"

The soaked, loose earth beneath his feet gave way and Hiccup fell into the pit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Drip drip drip_

What... happened?

_Drip drip drip_

What was he laying on that was so...

_Drip drip drip _

Cold...

_Drip drip drip_

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes and stared into the darkness surrounding him. His entire body felt heavy, but his head throbbed. He had no idea where he was. He couldn't hear the ever so annoying rain anymore, so that was good... Or very bad.

Adjusting his vision to the light in the room, Hiccup could see what was dripping so irritatingly.

Water gathered on the roots sticking out of the ceiling. When they became too heavy to stay attached to the root, it fell to the dirt with a _drip_. Rocks poked out of the walls and the ground, some sharp and jagged, and others were smooth.

Tunnels, of all sizes snaked in and out of the walls. Only a few of them were big enough for someone like Hiccup could fit through.

He was lying on a ledge of earth that was carved out of the wall, up above the ground by about three feet.

The sound of scurrying feet echoed in the tunnel, constantly stopping and starting, changing direction. All except for one set of foot steps. They sounded different, they remained constant.

They were also growing louder.

Glazing down the dark tunnel, Hiccup could see dark shadows darting back and forth. A silhouette appeared and became larger by the second. It wasn't big enough to be a dragon...

The shadow was almost in view when it saw Hiccup was awake. It stopped dead in its tracks, jumped on to the wall and pushing upwards, scampered in to an opening in the roof of the tunnel.

Hiccup looked up, following the sound of scurrying feet in the tunnels above his head. Bits of dirt rained down where it moved.

Silence followed.

Hiccup scanned the room quickly. He spotted a hole in the roof beside the ledge where he lay.

A pair of brilliant, emerald orbs stared back at him through the dark. They were small and round, curious and precarious.

"You can come down now," Hiccup coaxed. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The eyes blinked, but remained in the hole.

"I promise,"

Turning slightly, the eyes moved to the side, and something dropped from the ceiling, landing beside Hiccup.

It slowly straightened, revealing its features.

Skin stretched tightly over the bones the back, chest and legs, hunched over like an animal, and wrapped in dark cloth, dark red hair hiding the face.

It was... a girl.

She lifted her head, exposing her face. Small and bony, just like the rest of her. If she was standing, she would be only a bit shorter than Hiccup. Instead the girl crawled along the ground, much like an animal might.

As she slowly moved sideways around Hiccup, the girl eyed him curiously. He must have moved too fast, because the girl bolted when he sat up painfully.

"N-no wait," Hiccup called after her, but he toppled over when he tried to stand.

His leg was gone! Well, the false, wooden part was.

"Lovely," He sighed, putting his head down on the ground.

A few moments later, Hiccup heard a quiet shuffle of feet on dirt. Something touched his head and he looked up. It was the girl, and she looked almost... sorry for Hiccup. Her face said "Yep, he's harmless."

Slowly reached out, she touched Hiccup's hair. She pulled away quickly, but then softly smoothed his chestnut hair again.

"Do... do you have a name?" Hiccup asked slowly.

The girl made a rumbling sound in her throat. Guess not.

"Can you speak?"

Nothing. They obviously didn't speak the same language.

Where was he? The question crossed his mind once again.

"Where am I?"

He knew it was pointless.

The girl took his hand and helped him stand. Jumping up on the ledge, she bounced off the wall again and sailed through a hole in the wall. She rushed off down the tunnel and left Hiccup alone again.

He sat down, having more question than ever. What was she doing here? Why couldn't she speak? Who in the world was she? All valid questions, but Hiccup hoped he could get some answers if and when the girl came back.

He must have fallen asleep again because the next thing he knew, the girl was back. She sat cross legged above his head on the ledge, stroking his hair. His head rested on her lap and looking up at the girl, she smiled. Hiccup sat up slowly, back aching from the hard ledge. He turned so his feet dangled over the edge.

The girl stood up and pulled herself into another hole in the wall. She hooked her legs on to a large root above Hiccup's head and let her arms fall, so she hung upside down. She swung back and forth until she reached the edge of the tunnel she climbed into and brought out a white rock.

The inside was hollowed out and it was filled with clear water. The sides were rather thick, but the mug still held quite a bit.

He was grateful for the water, the back of his throat was dry and sore. He drunk the water, trusting it was drinkable.

He did not know how long he had been here. They seemed to be somewhere underground.

"I should find I way out of here," Hiccup thought out loud. "But I'm not going to get far without my leg."

As if on cue, the girl extended an arm from her hole. She held a oddly shaped object of wood and metal in her hand.

"Oh hey, you found my leg!" Hiccup exclaimed.

He reattached his leg and stood up. Now he could find a way to the surface!

He moved toward the tunnel in which the girl entered. She jumped down from the hole in the wall and followed Hiccup.

The tunnel was cool and branched off every so often. Hiccup decided to just go straight for now and try not to get lost.

A little while later, the tunnel opened up into a large room. Holes dotted the walls and dragons of many types zoomed around between them.

"Whoa," Hiccup breathed.

Three full grown Whispering Deaths came barreling out of the tunnels, growling and looking angry until they saw Hiccup.

All three of them immediately dove downwards, drilling into the ground. He could feel the vibrates they were causing. Springing up, they surrounded him. Snarling and snapping, they prepared to strike.

Suddenly the girl leaped between him and the dragons. She mimicked the fighting stance of a dragon, growling and snarling.

The dragons backed up, looking frightened. They flew back into the tunnels above.

The girl straightened up a bit then darted across the room. She sprung up, crawling into a low tunnel. Hiccup hurried after her and she pulled him up. The tunnel was just large enough to walk whiles in a crouch. The girl moved ahead quickly and he followed although he was not certain where she was leading him.

_Rooooaaaar!_

The bellowing cry ripped through the air. It sounded not too far behind. The girl stopped dead, eyes growing wide.

"Toothless?" He gasped. "Toothless!"

The girl abruptly bolted forward and he dashed after her. The tunnel began to grow larger and larger, until Hiccup could stand with room above him. He could hear scaled feet and claws on dirt behind him.

A black creature flew past Hiccup, barely missing his ear, but still knocking him forward. The beast slid to a stop and faced the girl.

Toothless stared the girl straight in the face, threaten to murder her for what he considered kidnapping.

And for a moment, just one moment, the girl looked frightened.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hiccup!" Astrid called into the hole in the earth. She was on her hands and knees, muddy and completely soaked. The pit was completely blocked with mud and rocks, so she was unable to enter.

She jumped to her feet and raced to Stormfly. She had to get the chief, he would know what to do.

She had to look all over the island for him. At sunrise she found him. The chief was helping reconstruct the fence that enclosed the village's yaks. It had partially been blown over in last night's storm. He must have left early in the morning, not knowing Hiccup was not present in the house.

"Chief!" Astrid dashed across the field toward Hiccup's father.

"Astrid? What is it?" Stoick frowned his great eyebrows.

"H-Hiccup... he fell... into..." She panted. "The pit..."

"W-what? Up north?"

Astrid nodded and a look of panic crossed Stoick's face for a split second. She had only ever seen it once, when Hiccup almost his life. Instead he lost a leg. Surely he wasn't the only one who had given a leg for a life...

Astrid pushed the thought out of her mind. Focus on Hiccup, how were they going to find him?

"Rally the others, tell them to meet at the pit," The chief instructed, climbing on to the back of his dragon. "I'll meet you there."

Astrid nodded and raced back to Stormfly. Vaulting on to her back, they took off toward the dragon training arena. At top speed they were there in a minute flat.

"Hiccup is in trouble," Astrid landed, but remained on her dragon.

"When he is not?" Snotlout snorted. He was sitting on his dragon Hookfang, relaxing as always.

Astrid's eye twitched in annoyance. She fired spikes from Stormfly's tail at Snotlout.

"Hiccup is in trouble and I don't care if you help or not. I'll go by myself!" She exploded at the others. She turned quickly to leave.

"Wait!" Fishlegs called. "I'm coming with you. Hiccup's my friend just as much as he is yours."

He followed Astrid out of the arena.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut shrugged and mounted their dragon, charging out of the arena. Snotlout was left alone to pull spikes out of his boots.

"Hmph, go ahead," He mumbled to himself. "See if I care."

"When did he fall in _exactly_?" Fishlegs paced back and forth beside the pit.

When they had first got there, they had attempted to dig the tunnel out to no avail.

"Last night, a few hours after dark," Astrid sighed again. "I saw him just fly off on Toothless in the dead of night."

"But what would push him to do something so... irrational?" Fishlegs stopped to think.

"Irrat-what?" Tuffnut raised an eyebrow.

"Irrational," Fishlegs corrected. "Not consistent with or using reason."

"Argh! This entire thing is irrational!" Astrid exploded.

"How so?" Stoick asked.

"The dreams, his new found fear of holes, flying to it in the middle of the night," Astrid ranted. "It just doesn't make any sense!"

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"It's just... Nothing, never mind." Stoick looked down at his feet. There was something he wasn't telling them...

The earth began slaking violently and something rumbled from deep beneath the soil.

A Whispering Death shot up from the pit, clearing the hole completely, then arched down and dove head first back into the tunnel from which it came. A cloud of dust rose up and lingered in the air.

Astrid being the closest to the pit, stood still and gazed at it.

A single hand sprung from the earth and searched around to find a solid handhold.

Clutching a nearby rock, Hiccup emerged pulling something up with him. A girl with long, matted, crimson hair and fresh cuts on either side of her face. She was all skin, bone and muscle, wrapped in very little, yet somewhat familiar cloth.

Astrid rushed over and moved the unknown girl forward to help Hiccup, when the Whispering Death returned.

It snatched up Hiccup using its lethal and poisonous teeth. Hold him by the shoulder, the dragon flew away. It stayed close to the ground as it made a break for the shade of the forest.

Toothless shot out of the tunnel, pursuing the other dragon closely. He tackled the Whispering Death, causing it to release Hiccup from its jaws. He fell to the ground.

Toothless stood over his master, protecting him from the other dragon. The other dragon charged at him, but was met was a fire ball to the face.

Snotlout hovered above Toothless on Hookfang.

"Beat it, stink breath!" He sneered at the opposing creature.

Admitting defeat, the Whispering Death shrieked and bolted for the trees, disappearing in to the forest.

Hiccup lay motionless on the ground in front of his dragon. Toothless softly whined, gently nudging him.

Hiccup's shoulder was mauled and bleeding dark scarlet blood. A single tooth impaled his arm, bite marks surrounding it.

"Hiccup!" The chief bellowed, rush towards his son. He knelt beside him. "He's still breathing."

The girl Hiccup drug from the pit crawled over to him and sat next to him, eyes wide in worry.

"We have to take him to a doctor," Astrid said firmly.

"What a doctor know about a bite from a Whispering Death?" Snotlout landed his dragon. "They are really rare, there's not much they could do."

The girl's gazed shifted from Hiccup's face to his shoulder and back again, as if she were thinking very hard. She turned toward the forest and bolted in to the trees. Astrid dashed after her.

"Hey! Come back!"

The girl scampered one all fours between the trees, dodging roots and turning sharply often. Then she slid to a stop. Astrid caught her breath and looked around.

They were in a clearing filled with grass and flowers of many colors. A pond surrounded by rocks flowed into a small stream. A large tree stood beside the stream, branches cover with bright green leaves and small plants grew at it's base.

The girl knelt close to a blue flower below the tree. She sniffed it and picked it. Plucking a few more plants, she moved to the water's edge, picking up a stone. Reaching a hand into the stream, she filled a rock that was hollow in the center, like a cup.

Clutching the water in one hand, plants in the other, the girl sprinted back to the hole, not spilled a single drop on the way.

When she returned, the girl quickly shredded the few plants in her fist and dropped them into cup. She gently separating the petals from the rest of the flower and placed them on the surface of the water. Where they touched, the water turned pale violet.

Gently placing a hand on Hiccup's chest, the girl grabbed the dragon tooth with the other. She yanked it out of his shoulder and promptly poured the purple mixture on his open wound.

The black poison in his blood seemed to disappear with the violet liquid, leaving only crimson blood.

Stoick looked astonished for a moment, then he picked Hiccup and strode off to his dragon.

"Astrid," Stoick said abruptly. "Take the girl back to my home and wait there for me."

Astrid nodded and gestured for the girl to follow her, and helped her on to Stormfly.

Who was this girl? Why was she with Hiccup? How did she heal him like that? What was she doing in the pit in the first place? Why do she seem so...

Familiar...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I thought you said you weren't going to help,"

Astrid sat in a wooden chair beside Hiccup's bed.

"I changed my mind," Snotlout said from his place across the room, leaning against a wall. They were in Hiccup's room with Toothless. He paced back and forth across the room silently.

"Why?" She turned to face him. "Why did you change your mind?"

Snotlout shrugged.

_Him and his ridiculous tough guy act,_ Astrid shook her head. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

The girl from the pit stared back at her with her big green eyes.

Why was her deal? Hiccup drug her out of the pit behind him, so she must have already been in the tunnels. But for how long? Why?

Astrid growled in frustration. Hopefully Hiccup could shed some light on the situation if and when he woke up.

But she still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew the girl, somehow she seem familiar...

Astrid pushed the thought out of her mind and went back to Hiccup. She hoped he was okay and the bite wasn't too severe. Whatever that girl did seemed to be working... Oh, for the love of Thor! Why couldn't she think of something other than that girl?

She angrily blew her blonde hair out of her face.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted with a large pain in the shoulder. Hiccup turned his head to see his shirt bloody and torn, exposing a large bite wound. Hiccup vaguely remembered what happened.

They were traveling through the tunnels underground, he and the girl, when Toothless caught up with him. He had growled and took a long look at the girl, eyeing her dangerously.

"Toothless, I-"

The girl held up her arm, stopping him from stepping forward. Instead she approached the Night Fury, as if seeing a ghost.

For a spilt second, Toothless relaxed.

A hiss of a roar filled the tunnel. Hiccup turned to see a very angry looking Whispering Death far behind them. It spotted him and charged.

Toothless gave the girl a look that plainly said, "This isn't over," and bolted down the tunnel. She followed without hesitation and Hiccup had no choice but to do the same.

Toothless suddenly stopped ahead.

He stood before a huge tunnel stretching up to the sky and plunged deeper into the earth.

Hiccup quickly climbed on to Toothlesse's back.

"Come with me," Hiccup extended a hand to the girl. "Please."

She slowly reached out grasped his hand. He pulled her on to the dragon and Toothless took off.

He shot up the tunnel, but so did the Whispering Death. Reaching the top revealed more tunnels. Light shone bright from the right.

They made it to the opening, but Hiccup didn't remember anything after that. The entire thing seemed surreal and dreamlike.

_Was it just a dream?_

Something moved above him. Hiccup squinted at the ceiling and the girl dropped down in front of him.

_Nope_.

She stared intently at him with bright, emerald eyes, dark red hair spilling over her shoulders.

The girl smiled. Hiccup smiled back. She was so cute.

The sun shone in through the high window on the wall across from him. It was warm and welcoming, unlike the damp darkness of the caves he had been through not so long ago.

"Hiccup!"

He turned to the right to see Astrid rise to her feet.

_Oh no, I'm in trouble,_ Hiccup thought.

"What were you thinking? In the middle of the night to that pit, of all places!" She said angrily. "Where were you? And who is she?"

Astrid gestured to the girl crouching in front of him.

"I have no idea," He replied honestly. He truly did not why. It just felt like he was compelled to investigate the pit, couldn't stand the uncertainty of it anymore.

Hiccup looked Astrid in the eyes.

"I'm sorry,"

She slowly relaxed and sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I was just worried..." Her voice trailed off.

Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder, she turned and he smiled.

She reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist. He hugged her back and winced. She released him.

"We should get this wound covered up," Astrid inspected his shoulder.

"How did that..?"

"Hmm?" Astrid looked up.

"N-nevermind," He shook his head.

The chief came up the stairs into Hiccup's room, carrying a cloth and a length of bandage.

"Glad to see your finally awake," Stoick said flatly, setting what he was holding down on the nightstand.

Hiccup knew he was not impressed, as always.

"I..." He fell silent.

He had no explanation. No reasonable explanation, that is. None that a reasonable person would understand and reasonable agree with then forgive him reasonably.

His father sighed and left the room once again.

"That went well," Astrid said when Stoick was out of earshot.

"I had nothing reasonable to say," Hiccup replied bitterly.

The outside of the forest was sunny and a breeze blew freely. It was dark and still in the woods though, the crooked trees blocked out the sun, shadowing the ground and provided shelter from the wind.

After Astrid dressed his wounds, Hiccup somehow convinced her to let him go for a walk alone. It was just a matter of precise persuasion and insisting he would not return to the pit.

So here he was, back at the woods that housed that wretched hole in the ground.

Hiccup sat in the grass, against a tree, watching birds and, occasionally dragons, fly far above his head. He turned a small, pale green rock over and over in his hands. Big, fluffy, white clouds sauntered lazily across the sky, the blue waters far off the island reflected and shone in the midday sun. No matter what Hiccup thought about, he could not shake the feeling that he was missing something. Something important, very important, in fact. He was missing something very important.

But what?

Hiccup sighed and rose to his feet. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and turned to look into the forest. He relevantly stepped into the shade of the trees. They were gnarled and huge in size, casting shadows that stuck out at odd angles. No official path existed in the woods, merely a large empty space between trees. Well, large compared to the rest of the trees, that were tightly packed otherwise.

He had not made it far when something rustled in the shadows and Hiccup jumped. He squinted in to the woods, searching for the source of the sound. Turning in a full circle, Hiccup realized he was holding his breath. Two green eyes glowed in the dark of the great trees.

"Oh... It's just you. You startled me," Hiccup breathed out.

The girl slowly slinked out from somewhere between trees. She joined Hiccup along the path and deeper into the woods.

For a while they walked, or in the girl's case what passed for a walk, down the sunless trail. Then she gestured for Hiccup to follow her, and sped off into the trees. He let her lead the way to a clearing. Flowers of countless hues blossomed in between the blades of crisp, green grass that blanketed the ground. Sparkling, blue water flowed swiftly from a small pond surrounded by round, white rocks into a lovely little stream. Nimble, sliver fish swam around the little pond. The tree that stood beside it, however, was very different from the forest that surrounded it. The bark of the tree was pale and the branches, delicate. Thin vines hung from the limbs, sprouting tiny, pointed leaves that trembled in the breeze. Odd looking plants sprung from it's roots. Hiccup recognized the old tree as a weeping willow. He had never seen a real one, just pictures in storybooks.

Hiccup knew this place. He had been here before.

Sometimes, he would dream of a place just like this. The only difference was the sky would be filled with countless sliver stars, blinking and twinkling so very far away. He lay on his back in the meadow, plucking petals from a violet flower one by one.

"Hiccup," The soft, sweet voice of a child said beside him. But when he turned his head, the dream ended and he would wake up.

He sat down in the soft grass. The girl stretched out on the grass beside him, yawning. He stared up at the clouds, then lay down in the grass. His eyelids became heavy and they closed as he drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

For the first time in a month, Hiccup slept soundly.

He was in the meadow, just like it used to be. Sparkling stars and a pale, round moon danced together against the dark sky. Hiccup took a deep breath and caught the warm, flower scented, summer breeze. The branches of a flowing tree swayed gently in the wind, brushing his nose.

He smiled.

"Hiccup..."

This time when he turned his head, there was someone was next to him in the grass.

A little girl with dark red hair that fluttered around her shoulders and emerald eyes that shone brighter than the stars. Her smile was soft and genuine, bare feet happily up in the air as she lay on her tummy. The moonlight bathed her in silvery light, reflecting off her gold, beaded bracelet.

She gazed at Hiccup gently and he sat froward. The little girl moved closer to him, leaning against his chest.

Pink spread across Hiccup's cheeks. She yawned and closed her eyes. Her hair was so soft and familiar, a long forgotten touch. He put both arms around her and held her tight.

"I missed you..."

Hiccup opened his eyes and found the girl against his chest. He slowly ran his fingers through her dark red hair. Soft and familiar, just like in the dream...

Not a dream, a memory...

"Hiccup, for the last time, I don't know anything about that girl!"

"Yes you do! I know you do! Why won't you tell me?"

"I've never seen her before," Stoick said flatly, frowning his eyebrows.

Hiccup clenched his fists.

"I just met her today. You just met today."

"Then why do I have memories of her?!"

The two fell silent. He knew something, so wouldn't he tell Hiccup?

"Fine," Hiccup said finally. "I don't even know her name..."

"Solaris,"

"What?" Hiccup stopped halfway up the stairs.

"Her name is Solaris," He rephrased.

"But, you said..."

"If you remember her," Stoick stood up. "There is no avoiding it. Not forever."

Solaris...

Pain crept up on Hiccup, starting as a small ache, so he ignored it.

"So you do know her... Who is she?"

After a moment, His father spoke.

"She's your little sister."


End file.
